Colossians Introduction
Many have used the second chapter of Paul's letter to the Colossians to show that believers in Christ are no longer obligated to observe certain Old Testament laws. Specifically, these verses are referenced to argue that we no longer need to keep the dietary laws, and the Sabbath, and the feast days found in the Torah. Let's look at the verses in question:
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ (Colossians 2:13–17).
This passage raises several questions:
We do not have a lot of information regarding who was behind the Colossian heresy and what their specific beliefs were. Some kind of false teaching was threatening the Colossian church, yet exactly what constituted it is debated among scholars. Colossians scholar Peter T. O'Brien describes several different possibilities including Gnostic-influenced Essene Judaism, a pagan mystery cult, a combination of Gnostic Judaism with pagan elements, and Jewish Christian Mystical Ascetism (xxxiii-xxxviii). A common position is that this heresy was some type of proto-Gnosticism. Gnosticism, which was fully developed in the second century AD, included worship of angels and asceticism, so many feel that the Colossian heresy was some earlier form of this (see Dunn, 27-28 for a description of this view). However, there also existed similar mystical beliefs within Judaism (with extra-biblical sources), some dating even before the time of Christ.1 With the spread of Greek culture under Alexander the Great, it is no surprise that we find these Hellenistic philosophies permeating into Jewish thought at this time. While it is difficult to label which religious group is causing the Colossian problem, we can at the very least use the text itself to understand some of the threatening false beliefs.
Before addressing the heresy (in chapter two), Paul reminds the Colossians of the sufficiency and fullness of Christ (in chapter one). We have redemption in him (1:14). He is the very image of the invisible God (1:15). Through him and for him, all things were created (1:16). He is before all things and in him all things hold together (1:17). He is the head of the body, which is the church (1:18). It is crucial for Paul to establish all of this in order to remind the Colossians that they must stay grounded and stable in Christ and who he is and who they are in Christ (1:23). In contrast, the false teaching at Colossae was not grounded in Christ - it was disconnected from the Head (2:19) and therefore empty (2:8). Its origin was not of God but of man (2:8,21,23). Paul wants the Colossians "to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (2:2-3) so that they are not led astray by the false teaching.
Beginning in chapter two, Paul gives specifics about the false teaching that has infiltrated the Colossian church. What does Paul say about this heresy?
Second, stocheia tou kosmou can be understood to mean “transcendent powers that are in control over events in this world” (ibid). In this latter sense, the phrase refers to spiritual beings who exhibit some sense of power over the world. Some say Paul uses the phrase more in the first sense of basic components, and that it therefore refers “to the elementary forms of religion, Jewish and polytheistic” (ibid). Others, however, “hold that the reference is to the elemental spirits which the syncretistic religious tendencies of later antiquity associated with the physical elements” (ibid). Under this view, the elemental principles have a demonic source.
We should note that the two understandings are not mutually exclusive because the transcendent powers were so often associated with the physical elements. Greek mythology and Zodiac astrology is a case in point. Each of the twelve constellations is connected to the gods of Olympus in some fashion. As we will further develop below, the Torah describes how the nations associate the heavenly bodies with spiritual beings, and thus they wrongly bow down to, worship, and swear allegiance to the heavenly host (Deuteronomy 4:19; 17:3; Job 31:26-28).
Based on its usage in Galatians and Colossians, most interpret the stoicheia as demonic forces and rulers (Esser, 452). Furthermore, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology says that the term stocheia tou kosmou covers “all the things in which man places his trust apart from the living God revealed in Christ; they become his gods, and he becomes their slave” (ibid, 453). Therefore, the false teaching at Colossae was of demonic origin and taught men to trust in these human philosophies and traditions, whether of Greek or Jewish origin, thereby enslaving the Colossians to these “gods.”
In Galatians four, Paul says the Galatian believers were formerly enslaved to these elemental spirits. In Colossians, Paul states that the Colossian heresy is according to these elemental spirits (2:8) and that, in Christ, the Colossians died to the elemental spirits (2:20). Yet in the very same verses, he also attributes the heresy to human tradition. In verse eight, he says the false teaching is according to both the elemental spirits and to human tradition. Later in verses 20-21 when he uses the phrase again, Paul says that dying to these spirits should mean that the Colossians no longer live according to human precepts and teachings. The connection between stoicheia tou kosmou and human teachings is clear. In our study of Galatians 4, we argue that these elementary principles or spirits refer specifically to the false teachings and traditions of man, which contradict and stand against the Word of God.
As stated above, stoicheia tou kosmou is commonly understood to mean transcendent powers controlling the world, or spiritual beings with power. In Colossians two, many translators prefer this understanding and substantiate this view when they render stoicheia tou kosmou as “elemental spirits” (see ESV, NIV-11, and NET for a few examples). When Paul relates the human traditions and the spirits, he shows through Hebrew parallelism that the origin of these human traditions is the demonic elemental spirits.
This idea is so important that it deserves repeating: the Colossian heresy was based on man-made teachings with demonic origin. Its origin is absolutely not from God!
In 2:8, Paul has clearly stated that the false teaching is not according to Christ. He then goes on to say what is according to Christ, that is, what are the riches that the Colossians have in Christ. The Colossian heresy had lost its connection to Christ, yet in Christ is where the fullness of truth is.
- What is “the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands”?
- How did the canceling of this record disarm the rulers and authorities?
- Who was passing judgment on the Colossian believers? What did they believe, especially with regard to food, drink, and the biblical festivals (festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths)?
- What does Paul mean when he calls these things a shadow, and how does the substance belong to Christ?
We do not have a lot of information regarding who was behind the Colossian heresy and what their specific beliefs were. Some kind of false teaching was threatening the Colossian church, yet exactly what constituted it is debated among scholars. Colossians scholar Peter T. O'Brien describes several different possibilities including Gnostic-influenced Essene Judaism, a pagan mystery cult, a combination of Gnostic Judaism with pagan elements, and Jewish Christian Mystical Ascetism (xxxiii-xxxviii). A common position is that this heresy was some type of proto-Gnosticism. Gnosticism, which was fully developed in the second century AD, included worship of angels and asceticism, so many feel that the Colossian heresy was some earlier form of this (see Dunn, 27-28 for a description of this view). However, there also existed similar mystical beliefs within Judaism (with extra-biblical sources), some dating even before the time of Christ.1 With the spread of Greek culture under Alexander the Great, it is no surprise that we find these Hellenistic philosophies permeating into Jewish thought at this time. While it is difficult to label which religious group is causing the Colossian problem, we can at the very least use the text itself to understand some of the threatening false beliefs.
Before addressing the heresy (in chapter two), Paul reminds the Colossians of the sufficiency and fullness of Christ (in chapter one). We have redemption in him (1:14). He is the very image of the invisible God (1:15). Through him and for him, all things were created (1:16). He is before all things and in him all things hold together (1:17). He is the head of the body, which is the church (1:18). It is crucial for Paul to establish all of this in order to remind the Colossians that they must stay grounded and stable in Christ and who he is and who they are in Christ (1:23). In contrast, the false teaching at Colossae was not grounded in Christ - it was disconnected from the Head (2:19) and therefore empty (2:8). Its origin was not of God but of man (2:8,21,23). Paul wants the Colossians "to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (2:2-3) so that they are not led astray by the false teaching.
Beginning in chapter two, Paul gives specifics about the false teaching that has infiltrated the Colossian church. What does Paul say about this heresy?
- Some are trying to delude the Colossian believers with plausible arguments (2:4).
- Paul warns them against being taken captive by philosophy and empty deceit (2:8).
- This heresy is according to human tradition (2:8), human precepts and teachings (2:21), and self-made religion (2:23).
- It is according to the elemental spirits of the world (2:8).
- It is not according to Christ (2:8).
- Members of this heresy are passing judgment on the Colossians concerning food, drink, festivals, new moons, and Sabbaths (2:16; cf. 2:21).
- They insist on asceticism (2:18, 23; cf. 2:21).
- They worship angels and stress visions (2:18).
- They are not connected to the Head, which is Christ (2:19).
- They appear wise (2:23).
- Their man-made traditions have no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh (2:23).
Second, stocheia tou kosmou can be understood to mean “transcendent powers that are in control over events in this world” (ibid). In this latter sense, the phrase refers to spiritual beings who exhibit some sense of power over the world. Some say Paul uses the phrase more in the first sense of basic components, and that it therefore refers “to the elementary forms of religion, Jewish and polytheistic” (ibid). Others, however, “hold that the reference is to the elemental spirits which the syncretistic religious tendencies of later antiquity associated with the physical elements” (ibid). Under this view, the elemental principles have a demonic source.
We should note that the two understandings are not mutually exclusive because the transcendent powers were so often associated with the physical elements. Greek mythology and Zodiac astrology is a case in point. Each of the twelve constellations is connected to the gods of Olympus in some fashion. As we will further develop below, the Torah describes how the nations associate the heavenly bodies with spiritual beings, and thus they wrongly bow down to, worship, and swear allegiance to the heavenly host (Deuteronomy 4:19; 17:3; Job 31:26-28).
Based on its usage in Galatians and Colossians, most interpret the stoicheia as demonic forces and rulers (Esser, 452). Furthermore, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology says that the term stocheia tou kosmou covers “all the things in which man places his trust apart from the living God revealed in Christ; they become his gods, and he becomes their slave” (ibid, 453). Therefore, the false teaching at Colossae was of demonic origin and taught men to trust in these human philosophies and traditions, whether of Greek or Jewish origin, thereby enslaving the Colossians to these “gods.”
In Galatians four, Paul says the Galatian believers were formerly enslaved to these elemental spirits. In Colossians, Paul states that the Colossian heresy is according to these elemental spirits (2:8) and that, in Christ, the Colossians died to the elemental spirits (2:20). Yet in the very same verses, he also attributes the heresy to human tradition. In verse eight, he says the false teaching is according to both the elemental spirits and to human tradition. Later in verses 20-21 when he uses the phrase again, Paul says that dying to these spirits should mean that the Colossians no longer live according to human precepts and teachings. The connection between stoicheia tou kosmou and human teachings is clear. In our study of Galatians 4, we argue that these elementary principles or spirits refer specifically to the false teachings and traditions of man, which contradict and stand against the Word of God.
As stated above, stoicheia tou kosmou is commonly understood to mean transcendent powers controlling the world, or spiritual beings with power. In Colossians two, many translators prefer this understanding and substantiate this view when they render stoicheia tou kosmou as “elemental spirits” (see ESV, NIV-11, and NET for a few examples). When Paul relates the human traditions and the spirits, he shows through Hebrew parallelism that the origin of these human traditions is the demonic elemental spirits.
This idea is so important that it deserves repeating: the Colossian heresy was based on man-made teachings with demonic origin. Its origin is absolutely not from God!
In 2:8, Paul has clearly stated that the false teaching is not according to Christ. He then goes on to say what is according to Christ, that is, what are the riches that the Colossians have in Christ. The Colossian heresy had lost its connection to Christ, yet in Christ is where the fullness of truth is.
For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead (2:9–12).
This is why it is so critical that the Colossians not lose connection with Christ. He must be the focal point, the fullness, the Head. Apparently the false teachers at Colossae were advocating that a secret wisdom, knowledge, and fullness of truth was only available through their belief system (Dennis and Grudem, The ESV Study Bible, Colossians 2:2), which we remember included the worship of/with angels, and asceticism. Asceticism is rigorous self-denial and abstinence from the pleasures of life. In this text, the Greek word for asceticism literally means “humility,” and Paul is most likely referring to fasting and avoiding the taboos quoted later in verse 21, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch” (ibid, Colossians 2:18). As to angel worship, at this time, some taught that people should call on angels for help and protection from evil spirits (ibid).2 Asceticism and worship of/with angels would be a means to receiving this angelic assistance. While the Colossians may be trying to avoid demons, Paul points out that in actuality this teaching they hold to is from demons. Instead of submitting to these false beliefs, Paul encourages the Colossians to realize the sufficiency of Christ. That is why Paul stresses that in Christ the fullness of God dwells (1:19, 2:9) and in him we have been filled (2:10). As Dennis and Grudem note concerning 2:10,
In this remarkable statement, Paul affirms that believers share in Christ’s power and authority over every rule and authority by virtue of their union with him. Here is the main theme of Colossians. The divine “fullness” is in Christ (v. 9), and believers are “filled in him.” Hence, they have everything they need in Christ. They do not need any other teaching to become like God. The term head is clearly used here with the sense of “authority over” (see note on 1 Cor. 11:3). This would have been an encouraging and helpful teaching for the Colossians, who clearly continued to live in fear of the demonic realm (emphasis ours).
The false teachers said that fullness came through their teaching, but Paul shows the opposite: Without Christ, we are empty. Similarly, in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (2:3), contrasted with the wisdom and knowledge of the false teachers, which is mere human philosophy and empty deceit (2:8).
1 The apocryphal books of 1 Enoch and Testament of Levi, both dating before the time of Christ, detail a mystical ascension to the throne room of God (Laansma, 730). Over time, ideas of ascension further developed to include preparation and technique for making the ascent. This would include fasting, eating special foods, and bathing beforehand, as well as using trance-like states, hymns, prayers, incantations, etc. to make the ascent (Laansma, 728). Communion with angels was also sought by some Jewish sects (Laansma, 731).
2 There is debate as to whether this should be translated “worship of angels.” Several scholars suggest it is better translated as “worship offered by angels.” Instead of worshipping angels, it is possible that there was a desire to join in with the worship that angels offered to God in heaven. Participation in such worship was said to occur through visions in which the person was thought to be transported to the throne room of God (Isa 6; 1 Enoch 14). This was stressed particularly among apocalyptic and mystical groups within first-century Judaism. See Dunn's discussion on page 180-184.
1 The apocryphal books of 1 Enoch and Testament of Levi, both dating before the time of Christ, detail a mystical ascension to the throne room of God (Laansma, 730). Over time, ideas of ascension further developed to include preparation and technique for making the ascent. This would include fasting, eating special foods, and bathing beforehand, as well as using trance-like states, hymns, prayers, incantations, etc. to make the ascent (Laansma, 728). Communion with angels was also sought by some Jewish sects (Laansma, 731).
2 There is debate as to whether this should be translated “worship of angels.” Several scholars suggest it is better translated as “worship offered by angels.” Instead of worshipping angels, it is possible that there was a desire to join in with the worship that angels offered to God in heaven. Participation in such worship was said to occur through visions in which the person was thought to be transported to the throne room of God (Isa 6; 1 Enoch 14). This was stressed particularly among apocalyptic and mystical groups within first-century Judaism. See Dunn's discussion on page 180-184.